What Children Choose and what their choices reveal
Play involves so much; it holds questions, curiosity, choices, and revelations. On this International Day of Play, we find ourselves circling around a particular question: What do children choose when left to […]
When Care Gets Distant: Rethinking Grandparents, Grandkids, and the Missing Middle
“Pehle toh poora ghar bacche ke uthne ka intezaar karta tha. Ab kehte hain—screen time ke dauraan call karo.” — Aaji, Nashik We didn’t start out asking about grandparents. But […]
“Kheloge Kudoge Banoge Lajawab”: A Children’s Manifesto for Play is Born
“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” – Rabindranath Tagore There are moments that sparkle with the pure, unadulterated magic of childhood, moments […]
Stories That Tell Themselves
Great stories aren’t crafted—they’re uncovered. They live quietly around us, waiting patiently to be seen, heard, and felt. The FactorDaily–Bachpan Manao Storytelling Fellowship began with a simple conviction: real stories […]
Why we Struggle to Design from Observation
We often say we want to center children, to design from their curiosity, to follow their lead. But when we really try, something resists. What makes it so hard? In […]
What Holds Up Childhood: an Installation on Visible & Invisible Care Work
WHAT HOLDS UP CHILDHOOD: An Installation at the Bachpan Manao Sabha At first glance, childhood looks light — a circle of children listening to a story, a burst of laughter […]
UNICEF India’s #HourOfFreePlay Cards
As part of a nationwide effort to promote play in early childhood, UNICEF India, in collaboration with the EkStep Foundation’s Bachpan Manao initiative, developed a set of simple, practical resources for […]
Designing From High Status
“To observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.”— Jiddu Krishnamurti What if we started there? This one’s for anyone building classrooms, tools, or systems for children. We’ve been […]
Bachpan Manao Sabha: A Day of Thought, Story, and Play
Bangalore | 23 May 2025 At its heart, this was a space to think about childhood as it really is: messy, magical, and rooted in what we often overlook. It […]
Celebrating First Songs: Stories, Songs & Early Learning
First Songs – A Lullaby Project is a celebration of the songs we first sing to children — lullabies that carry rhythm, comfort, and early language. As a child’s first […]
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